Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-07-29
ALASKA.
4 Poor Mems to"mt,y-Thnt Cor. S'e'"e-
ford Says Of 1t.


ford Says of 1t.
Alaska is poor mans country. HIS
gun will furnish him more game than
he can eat He can dig more clans IN
a day than he can eat in week. Ii he
is too lazy to get those he can have fish
for the taking There is no demand
for labor with us now, but the poor
man is not dependent upon wages IN
Alaska. He is as Independent as the
millionaire and may hunt, trap, or
prospect for the precious metals as he
pleases.
There are no opportunities for asri-
cultural immigrants i'll Alaska now be-
cause of the lack of any land laws
whereby title to realty can be had.
Indeed, the development of the territory
in every respect is precluded for that
reason. We have now absolutely no
law. a settler cannot even acquire
preference right" to the land he inn
proves. The Secretary Of the Interior
has decided that it would be illegal for
the President to issue proclamation
declaring a town site in Alaska. SO
far as 1 understand it, the opposition
to an extension of the land laws come
from the Alaska Commercial Company,
although its officers disclaim it. l have
noticed that whenever any proposition
is brought before Congress looking TO
the development of the Territory some
agent of the company always appears
to oppose it. The fact is that the
Territory has been persistently misrep-
resented and lied about by those who
wanted it kept as kind of a game pre-
serve for their own emolument.
1t is a mistaken idea that titles can
be obtained under Russian grants.
There are only about thirty titles in
the territory derived from the Russian
Government. These are chiefly to
small lots in one or two villages. [
only know of one Russian grant that
covers as much as 100 acres. We must
have some legislation to bring capital
before it would be right to encourage
agricultural immigration. While we
have good soil and a very consider
able proportion of arabic land, there
will not be anything done for ten years
or so in the way of agriculture beyond
what is necessary for home consump-
ton The proportion of tillable lands
in the southeastern part Of Alaska is
about the same as in New England.
The soil is rich. Everything grows
luxuriantly and everything can be
raised there that will grow in Illinois
except corn. The trouble is that the
growth is too rank. In no part of the
union is vegetation more luxuriant. 1
have seen timothy, redtop, and other
grasses six and seven feet high. The
above is also true of the Aleutian
Islands, am reliably informed
Our mines will one day be the Won
der of the world. There is practically
but one developed quartz mine now,
and it astonishes every miner who has
ever seen it. With the most perfectly
constructed and equipped mill of 100
stamps, it would be impossible to work
the ore in sight in 100 years. The
rock at the surface yielded So per ton,
and is now yielding Sl4 to SIS per ton.
and is mined and milled at a cos. OF
$1.23 per ton. The rock in sight is
above the working level, which is 30
feet below the outcrop. The level is
$50 feet above damage. The vein has
been located for 1000 feet, and is at its
narrowest point AGA feet between walls
We have the benefit of the general
mining laws. Claims can be recorded,
but when a patent is applied for there
is no one to receive the money. This
obstacle is probably only temporary
l shall confess myself mistaken if there
are not more stamp mills at work in
Alaska in ten years than in all the rest
of the union. Gold is found from the
extreme south to Behring Straits.
Our timber resources are enormous
but they will hardly be available until
the forests of Oregon and Washington
Territory are exhausted We have
also vast wealth in fur, ivory, salmon,
halibut, and cod. The cod fisheries
are worth many times what Secretary
Seward paid for all Of Alaska. The
banks are ten times as large as those OF
the Atlantic coast, the waters are safer,
and the cod better.
Il POSER For THE DEACON.
| The deacon had q severe attack of
rheumatism and was limping along the